Kyogo Furuhashi details Nakamura and Iniesta advice on Celtic switch and desire to emulate countryman

Nakamura is still considered a hero in Glasgow, so it was always expected that the comparisons between the former Reggina man and his compatriot would rear their head. In fact they were as instantaneous as they were inevitable.

Furuhashi, 26, is a striker where Nakamura was a midfielder, which is one difference right off the bat. But for the Hoops' new hitman, he's fine with the links. Different players they may be, but Furuhashi wants to emulate the successes his mate had at Celtic under Gordon Strachan.

It helps, too, that he already has a somewhat familiar face waiting for him in Ange Postecoglou who watched him on a near-weekly basis while manager of rival side Yokohama F Marinos.

"Shunsuke is a legend, not only in Japan but here at Celtic," the new signing said. "He’s a great player – and he’s still playing now. He has given the supporters lot of memories over the years at all of the clubs he has been.

"It’s a huge motivation of mine to work hard here but he told me I can be as successful as he was at Celtic. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to him a couple of times since I signed. He just told me to be myself. A lot of things will happen but he said, ‘You can do it’.

"I have confidence in myself I can achieve a lot here.

"He also told me about Celtic Park and the incredible atmosphere. I have been there to see it and walk around the pitch – you can almost feel it already and the fan are not even there yet.

"I am looking forward to experiencing the stadium at full capacity. I want to score in front of the supporters and feel those cheers."

Nakamura has always been described as the silent type. Some of his teammates were convinced he could indeed speak English while he was in Scotland, but played ignorant to avoid the press duties. Either way he wasn't exactly one who would be vocal unless he felt it necessary.

According to Furuhashi, that's the same mentality as another of his former mentors in Iniesta. The Spanish midfielder worked alongside Kyogo in Japan with Kobe and he still considers him a close friend.

So when the Kobe club captain told Furuhashi to seriously consider moving to the Hoops, he listened.

"Iniesta is a teacher, a big brother and family to me," he added. "I have great respect for him. We played a lot together. He’s a quiet person but I learned a lot from him.

"I feel a special connection with him and really enjoyed playing alongside him.

"He played here with Barcelona and he told me the power of the supporters was huge. For him, Celtic Park was a tough, tough stadium but for me being on the there side and being part of Celtic make me excited to experience it."

Furuhashi was in quarantine following his move from J1 League until last weekend when he virtually stepped out of his hotel room and onto the Tynecastle pitch to play a part off the bench as Celtic lost to Hearts in Gorgie.

He hadn't even had a training session with his new teammates when Postecoglou threw him into the deep end. The move didn't quite work out as his side were defeated thanks to a late John Souttar header, but it gave the Japanese international a taste of the type of physicality he can expect from his time in the Premiership.

But it was not a challenge he shied away from. Nor will it be. "This was my first time playing in a foreign league and it was different," he said. "My first impression was it’s a tough, physical contest with a lot of speed.

"It’s very physical compared to the J-League and the contact is hard. You certainly feel the different, not only in the game but even in the training. It’s really interesting for me to adapt and play my game. I am sure I can cope with the physical side.

"But at Celtic we have great players, a great manager, and great fans, so we can unite and be together to be successful.

"I will do my best for the club to achieve that."